I'm not paying THAT much!

 

I decided as it was so cold out, I would delay gardening till later and go and get the week's shopping as I was very low on fresh veg and salad.  I went into the little newsagents by the PO, to see if they had any cookery magazines to tempt me.  No, but this lovely magazine is always full of my sort of things, including a selection of baking recipes I know I shall return to again and again.  Now I don't have a newspaper each day as we always did when Keith was alive - I only buy one sometimes now - I thought I wasn't being too over-indulgent, especially as I had found some small change in a drawer, forgotten, which pretty well paid for most of the shop at Aldi!  The magazine has gone up another 26p in price since the one I bought last year though.  Just as well I keep them forever for the recipes etc in them.

The wine is for when Tam is here at the weekend, and the "Tarts" is a gorgeous lemon tart I couldn't resist, as I was tasting Lemon Meringue in my head, so to speak,  yesterday and my palate just HAD to have some of this.  The Oriental/pepper is a Stir Fry mix for tonight.  This shop cost me £7.49 as I found £25 in change.  I was abstemious in Tesco too, but think the two ladies in front of me, mum and daughter by the look of it, must shop monthly as they spent £336 on two trolley fulls!

To my surprise, the little cheap charity shop was open, and I went in to look for a Kate Ellis novel.  Unlucky there, but I did find some craft things, abandoned WIPs, including this kit of Beauty and the Beast, partly done.  Original stitcher had lost all hope once she had finished the all black corner!!  I was charged just £3, and there is a lot of useful embroidery floss there which I can share with sewing friends.  

I shall put the pattern and Aida back into a charity shop.  It has all the floss numbers if someone wants to carry on with it.

I stuck to my shopping list, but after reading the recipes in the magazine, needed apricots (I bought tinned) and some more Ground Almonds.  I was shocked at the price for the latter in Tesco - £4.25 for 250g and £6.60 for 500g.  I went back to Aldi, and bought two 100g packs at 99p each.  Some difference!  I shall make the Banana and Strawberry loaf for Tam, Rosie and I at the weekend, and have a friend visiting on Thursday so I shall make the Sticky Apricot Loaf then.  I love trying out new cake recipes.

I have been listening to various podcasts on my phone when I drive.  On Friday it was several episodes of Three Ravens podcast, which I can recommend (folklore and slightly spooky things).  I also listen to various history podcasts.  Saves expenditure on Audible anyway, though when they offer me three months at 99p a month, I shall stock up on more long books.  I need to finish getting the last couple of Outlander novels. ANyway, I thought I was about to listen to another Three Ravens podcast this morning, but turns out I had touched something which suddenly gave me a Findyourpast podcast, so that is another one to tune in to when I'm going somewhere.  This morning's was part 3 about Lucy Worsley's family (gran onwards) so I will have to listen to the first two parts.  Right, Badminton Horse Trials now. . . .

Hope that you are all enjoying your weekend.

Gardening and spinning

 Two poor nights' sleep have caught up with me today.  I felt very tempted to drop everything and have an outing again, because the weather was so beautiful first thing.  However, nose to grindstone and some weeding in the garden first, around the French Doors, then up to tear up some old cardboard boxes for the compost heaps.  Then more weeding/digging over and removal of heavy duty thugs like Lemon Balm which seems to be all over the garden here.  I planted 3 Lupins in the space, one being one I grew from seed last year.  The other two are Purple, not sure what colour this will be.  

This bed has suddenly gone mad with grass and weeds.  The tall Aquilegias are ones that used to be here and then got covered over with membrane which had rotted half away and had to be removed.  The pale pink one towards the orange Geum is also one of this ancient sort.  I have taken out the grass around/through the Golden Margjoram in the middle.  It needs mulching again though after I have weeded it thoroughly.  When I arrived, there was one climbing white rose which had reverted, a tumbling down rose support and Lemon Balm and Marjoram.

Free food - the black trays with tomatoes in were grown from an overwintered yellow cherry tomato which had rolled under the tables.  It was just a husk of skin with seeds inside.  I opened it and shook the seeds onto a pot of compost and all these appeared.  I shall have to give most of them away as I don't have room for that many and I prefer the larger salad tomatoes.  I have several diffrerent sorts of Cucumbers started in the house, and some Cantaloupe melons for Tam.  I won't put them out in the greenhouse just yet as it's meant to be cooler this next few days, though not the 2 degrees tonight I saw on one forecast earlier in the week.

A treat from the Nursery on the way to Carmarthen on Weds.  This and the pretty mixwed Verbena below.  The Leucanthemum is a tall perennial daisy and will go in the long border.

When I went up to vote on Thursday I took a couple of photos of the view before it is totally decimated by gigantic turbines almost the height of the Shard, and marching miles of pylons.

We have Reform coming in for this part of Powys.  They got in up at Wrexham too and in the Newport area.  Away from the English borders, it is Plaid, which is in favour of wind farms . . .  Reform isn't, so at least I agree with them on that.

L. Whale is much better now.  I took the executive decision to remove his cone yesterday as he kept digging at it with his bad foot and it was taking the newly healed skin off the wound.  It looked sore and I gave him Loxicom for the pain and then last night he slept on the bed beside me all night, and was clearly MUCH happier without the wretched cone on.

I have had a couple of sessions spinning today, trying to get the treadling and tension right.  It's years since I last spun so almost like starting again.  

On the way home yesterday I came over the Eppynts so I could visit Merthyr Cynog church.  Not very visually exciting inside, but it has SUCH a history connected with St Cynog, who was one of King Brychan's sons, the oldest I think.  Story and photos tomorrow.

Craig-y-Nos Country park and spinning wheel fettling

 I had to take my spinning wheel to be repaired today - a general overhaul.  It needed a replacement  polycord drive band, as the one it came with was just cotton and the new one is purpose made and it spins beautifully now.  He had to sort out the wheel running wonky - turns out that someone in the past (before I bought it) had fastened the Mother-of-all with two hefty screws which came threough the bottom but worst of all didn't hold the MOA properly in line with the wheel.  It may have been knocked off line when we moved house as the removals chaps weren't at all careful with our possessions.  Anyway, the MOA had to be realigned and new screws put in.  He put another  tensioner in the Scotch tensioner that was on there so I could ply on the spinning wheel now.  I also bought a replacement threading hook as mine had got lost in the move (I shall doubtless find it now!)

I am very fortunate to be within a reasonably short drive of the one and only spinning wheel repairer in the UK!  About 50 miles away in fact.  Plus I had a nice day out on the back of my trip, as he is at Craig-y-Nos Country Park, about 25 miles from Swansea.  The village is Ystradgynlais.  Victorian Opera Singer Adelina Patti owned and lived in Craig-y-Nos castle.  Whereby hangs a tale.  We once bought from local auction a big linen cupboard which came from the theatre at Craig-y-Nos, and had once belonged to Adelina Patti.  We put it down in mum's kitchen.  Anyway, a few weeks after buying it I was woken in the night by operatic singing, a woman's voice, coming up from mum's flat . . .  It was about 3 a.m. in the morning and I can remember thinking, sorry mum, you're deaf and won't hear it and damned if I am coming down to check it out.  It happened several times after this and Keith heard it too, so we put the "haunted cupboard" back in auction . . .  Odd I know, but true.

Some views below from my walk around the park whilst my spinning wheel was worked on,

Red Campion.

Adelina Patti's initials in the ironwork of the bridge.

Mallard mum and chicks having a rest from swimming round the lake.

Ramsons (wild Garlic).

Lovely photos on display of what is on our doorstep.

I treated myself to this (reduced) book today, from the craft shop at Craig-y-Nos.

Then when I got home, I found I had inherited a chicken - lovely point of lay lass with perhaps some Golden Leg Bar in her.  She was very friendly.  I then had to go round the neighbours to see who she belonged to, and last port of call was her owner.  Sadly he had lost his two cockerels, and a hen to Mr Fox last night.  At least he didn't lose this one.

Little Whale minus his cone.  I found out he was doing probably more damage wearing it, as he kept using his bad foot to scratch at the cone.  I had a dilemma - did I leave it on and have definite damage, or take it off and L. Whale might overlick the wound/infect it?  I have Hibiscrub here, so will continue with that, and I gave him some more Loxicom for the pain tonight.  The cone causes Social Anxiety problems with the other cats too, Alfie especially who snarles and hisses at his brother.  We will see how we go.  The vet forgot to return my call when I phoned earlier.

I am off to sit down now.  I am so pleased to have my Spinning Wheel fettled and running so smoothly now.  Back to practicing :)

Have a lovely weekend all.

St Mary's church, Llandovery - sadly still shut

 The Monster is asleep on my bed.  I've just dunked his foot in a weak Hibiscrub solution, dabbed some of the old dried blood off and then dried it (make up remover pads work a treat).   I have to do this twice a day.

He was beside me on the sofa last night.  He felt cool and his breathing was heavy - like he was worried by the cone or it was pressing on his throat.  I put the little pink blanket over him and a warm hot water bottle and he was soon purring away, but his breathing still looked a bit laboured.  He was tucked up in the living room overnight and seems a bit brighter today, though really fed up that he wasn't allowed out.  I was out this morning but when I got back, carried him out to sit on the side lawn for a few moments, but he wanted to Go Exploring, so had to come back in again.

 I went to see my friends Pat and Pam.  Had lots of horsey cuddles with Pat's horses and a good natter.   On the way back I took the little lane up to St Mary's Church, hoping it might be open, but no . . .

This appears to be in French . . .  I am hoping gz has better eyesight than I do.

Memorial slabs inside the porch.

How frustrating that it remains locked.  I can't really find on-line details of the alterations you can see in the wall or earlier windows, entrances.  Perhaps I will be better informed  when I can finally get inside.

The drive to Carmarthenshire today was through such a beautiful array of wild flowers.  The Bluebells are such an intense blue at the moment and many of them are lining the hedgerow side of the verge, laced with the purest white of the Greater Stitchwort, and the mid-pink of Red Campions.  The Hawthorn hedges are just coming into bloom and act as a creamy white foil behind them.  Nearly all the  trees (bar the Ash) have their leaves now, and of course the Oak trees are a murky olive green just yet.  It was so beautiful.

There's a monster in the house!

 L. Whale had the vet's again this morning and had his dressing removed - healing nicely - BUT he has to wear a cone to stop him licking the foot, and the others are all terrified of him now, and he is terrified of it . . .  I need to be here to keep the peace . . .  Poor chap.  He has to go back on Thursday and I hope he will be able to have the cone removed then.  It rather scuppers my day out, and going to Patchwork too . . .

Some quick snaps taken yesterday afternoon.  My garden is springing into bloom - and I'm glad I saw the chap who cuts the grass on Saturday as it has sudenly shot up.  The Clematis (Montana rubens) has come into its own this year and looking gorgeous.

Self-seeded Aquilegias.

I need to give my Clematis plants a feed but this had a good feed last year and is rewarding me.  Just need the slugs an snails to leave it alone.  This one is The First Lady.

The lovely yellow Tree Peony which was here when I arrived.

One of the wild Aquilegias which has grown once ancient membrane taken off on the bank.

The colour is pale in this photograph, but this is one of two good patches of Red Campion in the orchard.

All the young trees are in bloom.

Water Avens on the bank - they have spread everywhere.

Last night's meal.  Having had Mince Cobbler two nights in a row - and ruined the cheese scone topping because I got it out of the freezer and left it 36 hours in the fridge, during which time all the flour went grey (!) , I removed last of the topping and reinvented the mince into Cajun Dirty Rice, which hit the spot.  Mushrooms and chopped peppers from the freezer.  There are two more portions, but I will probably freeze those.

I did a quick shop in Llandod yesterday, although before I could do that I had to have a nap on the sofa - 5 mins turned into over an hour, as I was whacked from all the hard work.  I unloaded the last of the things in the car before that and that finished me off.

It was £26 in Aldi, as I bought the cat food in there.  Then the same in Tesco, but I had to go back in as I had forgotten my Wenslydale cheese, and I got some Ancient Grains rolls and mixed salad to go with it.  An other fiver.  The cat food was £11.95 for sachets and £4.50 for Purina biscuits (on special offer).  Meat bought - 2 chicken breasts, Back bacon (haven't bought any this year), and a reduced Pukka steak pie, all from Tesco, which is what bumped the spending in there.  I used the small change from the Fair to pay for the Aldi shop, which helped the exchequer.

I have sold two pieces to D, and need to pack and post those off today.  I need to go and fossick in the stables for the loose polystyrene beads I received around something else and kept to post something breakable.

Tomorrow I have my Patchwork class and later in the week am going to give myself a day out.  I need to take my spinning wheel to be serviced and he lives at Ystradgynlais, down by Craig y Nos, where opera singer Adelina Patti lived.  I shall go on towards Ross-on-Wye and the bottom of Herefordshire to check out some churches.

Meanwhile, L. Whale back to vet today to have his dressing off.  He WILL be pleased.

Mrs Shattered here . . . Around the Fair

 I got dehydrated the past couple of days as I have been SO busy, and didn't pack enough in the way of water etc for the long day yesterday (8 - 5).  No way was I going to part with what will undoubtedly have been stupid money for a drink on the showground.  I ached all over when I got home and after my meal, had a 5 minute shuteye on the sofa which lasted an hour and a half!  I then drank lots and lots of water until bedtime.  I must have been very dry as I only got up once in the night (it's normally twice).

Anyway, some photos from around the Fair.  A display box from the folk who sell the delightful toys and dolls at Malvern - they are just across the way from me.The old doggies are theirs too.  

I think this is a Wild Boar youngster - they are called Humbugs.  Well named.

Tam,  Jon and Rosie came along and Rosie and I (she in pushchair) went for a walk.  We found this garden ornament  . . .

Other offerings on the same stand.

They were filming Bargain Hunt.  I think this is Danny Sebastian. 

My friend's stand.  She always has some really interesting things.  Check out those Victorian shoes and reticules.

I can remember when this Fair was so packed, there were stands all around the Balcony too . . . Now this Hall is half empty, as is the Posh Hall in front of it.

If you have the stables to put it on (I do, but fear the roof might collape from the weight of it!!) this lovely stable clock could be purchased, at a price . . .

The Chair Man's lovely Windsor chairs.  We always have a natter at Fairs.

The Bible Box was made in 1720.  I call it a Bible Box, and you used to see them regularly in auctions when we first came to Wales, but perhaps it is a marriage box.

This is the front hall, with what I would call Top Table displays.  Carefully curated higher end items.  Personally, I need to Pile It High, as I need to get rid of old stock too.  But you pay for the walls to display things on!

Our Dorset friends Bryan and Mary would come to Margam Antiques Fair to sell their Oak and Country furniture (they were Yorkshire by birth and Bryan was very fussy about what he sold).   They used to pay £400 for their stand then - and we are talking around the Millennium, and a few years either side, before they retired.  They used to stay with us, but then the extra drive got too much, so they would stay in a hotel near Margam and we would use the entry tickets they gave us to come and see them and look round, have tea and cake, and Mary always bought me empty jam jars for my jam making.  Happy days.  They are probably no longer with us, as last time we met, Mary's Alzheimer's was becoming obvious and Bryan had Parkinsons. . .

A few quilts now.

Welsh blankets at the bottom.  VERY desirable these days.

And samplers . . .  Ones she shouldn't have bought . . .  I have seen her display at Malvern and at the little Llandeilo Fair.

This was on the toys stand.  Asking price around £295.


Right, this won't do.  I will make some sandwiches up to take, and sort out flasks for cold water and tea.  We aren't due in until 9.30 this morning and the Fair closes at 4, but I hope to be on my way homeward with the first load by then.